The Seven Mile Beach combination of Scott Brunton and Tegan Keys cashed in at the final meeting on their home track for a few months, landing half of the 10 winners between them.
Georgie Catania was the main beneficiary riding a treble including back-to-back long price winners in the last half of the program.
The track
The Hobart track has been a talking point since racing resumed and it’s clear that the workload between race meetings and trials has taken its toll with significant kickback from the surface proving problematic for riders racing back in the field.
Gee Gee Fiorente fights back to defeat Stormont in Hobart.
The outside part of the track has less wear and tear so that was the preferred going throughout the day, particularly in the home straight.
The track was rated a good 4 on Sunday but the overall times suggest it raced worse than that. Compared to Ladbrokes Hobart Cup Day which was run on a track with the same rating, most races on Sunday were at least two seconds slower than comparable grades over the same distance.
There is no grass racing in the state now for a couple of months, but I would suggest being forgiving of a lot of the beaten runs, particularly those with considerable finishing margins.
The winners
1100m
Race 2 (Maiden) – Hot Wired 1:08.44
Race 3 (Maiden) – Algernon 1:08.52
1200m
Race 8 (Open hcp) – Minute Repeater 1:13.66
Race 10 (Class 1) – Hezredhot 1:14.64
Hezredhot (Kyle Maskiell) wins the final race in Hobart on 19 July.
Race 9 (BM 60 hcp) – Alinjer 1:14.78
1400m
Race 6 (BM 66 hcp) – Shampz Again 1:29.45
Race 5 (Maiden) – Captain Dave 1:30.02
Race 4 (Maiden) – Lucky Lil 1:30.08
Race 7 (BM 60 hcp) – Flourishing Future 1:30.72
1600m
Race 1 (BM 74 hcp) – Gee Gee Fiorente 1:44.76
Race summaries
Race 1: The first of the day was a match race up the home straight and it was Gee Gee Fiorente ($5.50 into $4.40) who got the bob over Stormont ($2.25F). The winner was well found from the time markets opened and has now won five times over the mile with his co-trainer Leon Wells indicating post-race that the Devonport Cup will be the long-range target. Stormont looked the winner when he went past Gee Gee Fiorente but the inside horse kicked back strongly. Rodney Seymour rarely takes his horses to Devonport, so his short campaign has been a good one if that’s the case.
Race 2: Hot Wired ($3.40F) was one of the more impressive winners of the day with Georgie Catania weaving her way through the field after blowing the start. The win was against the pattern of racing as it was tough to come from midfield with the kickback from the track and the 3YO gelding looks a really promising horse. Little Hot Missile ($21) ran home with the fastest last 600m, 400m and 200m of the day for second so it would be a surprise if he starts anywhere near $21 next start. Golden Egg ($3.60) was honest again before being grabbed late and the fourth horse Not Now ($31) is another newcomer to the state and did enough to suggest she can at least break her maiden down here.
Hot Wired (Georgie Catania) bursts clear to win a maiden in Hobart.
Race 3: Algernon ($21) scored a debut win to give Brendon McCoull an early double. The wide gate proved an advantage as despite racing wide without cover throughout, he was always on the best part of the track. Runaway Girl ($4.60) placed for the third time in as many starts for the Brunton stable, but they must now be wondering where her maiden win will come from. Race favourite Stepaside Rousey ($3.50F) blew the start and her chances were remote from there. This maiden was about half a length slower than the previous race and looks the weaker of the two races when following the form.
Race 4: It was a vintage David Pires steer down the outside rail to guide Lucky Lil ($6 into $4.40) to victory. This win gave a clear guide to the pattern for the day with Pires making a bee line for the outside on the home turn. The win was soft on the line with Dunmining ($18) saving ground up the inside to run second and the hot favourite Look to the Future ($2.15F) running into third after being slowly away and forced to round the field. The trifecta all came from off the speed with Orange Roughie ($5.50) in fourth the best of those who raced towards the front.
Race 5: This race was a complete one act affair with Captain Dave ($5) demolishing the field by a massive 7.5 lengths with apprentice Brandon Louis in the saddle. It was an impressive performance by the Barry Baker-trained gelding who went straight to the front and extended the margin from there. Despite leading he still ran home with the fifth fastest last 400m of the day which is a great effort. The overall time was only marginally faster than the previous maiden which doesn’t say a great deal for the beaten brigade.
Captain Dave (Brandon Louis) winning a maiden in Hobart by a big margin.
Race 6: The heavily backed Shampz Again ($3.70 into $2.45F) made the rare leap from maiden to benchmark 66 thanks to another outside rail ride from David Pires. The race was won on the home corner where Pires was able to secure the outside fast lane when Manilenya ($7.50) was looking to peel of his back. Manilenya was forced inside to take runs between horses and the result may have been reversed had the mare been able to get to the outside. Ocean Essence ($3.50 out to $5) was a big drifter with all the money for the eventual winner but ran a good race on-speed to finish second with less than a length splitting the first four and With No Name ($31) putting in his best run for some time.
Race 7: Flourishing Future ($18) led throughout and just held on to defeat Stelladoni ($11) in a Seven Mile Beach quinella. Georgie Catania enjoyed a very easy time of it in front, evident by the fact this was the slowest of the four 1400m races and about eight lengths slower than the win of Shampz Again. The second horse enjoyed a good run from the 1-1 position with third going to Lady of Fortune ($14) who came from just worse than midfield and did well to get as close as she did with the way the race was run. Only half a length separated fourth through seventh with the flop of the race being Videmanette ($2.15F) who never looked likely racing back in the field.
Race 8: The 10YO Minute Repeater ($31) ensured the quaddie would pay any old price with an upset win for the combination of Tegan Keys and Georgie Catania for the second race running. Catania landed outside the leader Apriano which ensured she was in the preferred part of the track, but she was there to be run down in the home straight. Challenges came from stablemates Fragment ($3.20) and Ruettiger ($3.10F) but neither could run down the winner with GeeGee Trendsetter ($7.50) also finishing in the leading division that put a margin on the rest.
Race 9: Alinjer ($3.90 out to $7.50) defied a big betting drift and was a rare winner to use the inside half of the track to give apprentice Ianish Luximon a victory. It was a big performance from the 4YO gelding who at no stage raced in the seemingly better going but was still too strong in the run to the line. Ravage ($11) went very close to giving Tegan Keys three winners in succession, running a close second just ahead of Border Protection ($6 out to $9.50). It’s safe to say the market had this one wrong with Set Play ($3.70) in fourth and Gympins ($3.40F) running well below her first-up effort.
Minute Repeater (Georgie Catania) wins an open handicap on Sunday.
Race 10: On a pretty tough day for favourite punters Hezredhot ($2.40F) was one to get the job done, winning his second race in succession. The win gave Kyle Maskiell his first for the day and he looks a really nice prospect for Siggy Carr. Stefanidi ($5 out to $7.50) and Audrey ($12) were close up for the minors with Ascot Lad ($10) a nice run from back in the field, recording clearly the fastest closing sectionals of the race.
FORMPLUS Black Bookers
Little Hot Missile – Overlooked by the market at his first Tassie appearance but I doubt that’s the case second-up.
Fragment – Forced to race in the inferior ground and is proven on the synthetic so we should see a bit more of him in weeks to come.
Watch the replay of Minute Repeater beating Fragment in an open handicap.